High speed mechanical motion



March 8, 1960 Filed June so, 1958 C. E- BRANSCOMB HIGH SPEED MECHANICALMOTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Lfiawlarl. Bramcmb ATTORNEY March 8',1960 c. E. BRANSCOMB 2,927,636

HIGH SPEED MECHANICAL MOTION Filed June 30, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR,

'lzarlwE Bransaomb BY I ATTO EY 2,927,636 7 HIGH SPEED MECHANICAL MOTIONCharles E. Branscomb, Endwell, N.Y., assignor to International BusinessMachines Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New YorkApplication June 30, 1958, Serial No. 745,404

Claims. 01. 164-111 This'invention relates to anew and usefulimprovement in apparatus for producing high speed mechanical motion andmore particularly to a-device for obtaining cyclic, selectable, highspeed mechanical motion.

Thereare many machines that require a device capable of imparting veryhigh speed mechanical motion over short distances to selectable elementsand additionally to cause said motion to be accurately timed withrespect to other operating elements within the machine. The invention iscapable of higher operating speeds than present devices through a novelcombination of meansto select the element to be moved, a continuouslyrotating cam device to cooperate with said selection means and furtherto directly supply the operating force rather than a start-stopmechanism, and a low inertia linkage system for delivering the operatingforce to the member to be moved. It is an object of the invention,therefore, high speed mechanical motion.

Another object of the invention is to'provide cyclic, selectable, highspeed mechanical movement. s

to provide A further obi G 0f the invention is to provide cyclic;-

accurately timed mechanical movement. I

Yet another object of the invention is to provide" means to positivelyrestore the selecting means at the end of an operating cycle.

Other objects of the invention will be'pointed'out in thefollowingdescription and claims and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, which disclose, by way of example, the principle of theinvention and the best mode, which has been 'contemplated, of applyingthat principle.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view through punching mechanism incorporating thenovel device.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional viewzalong the lines 2-2 of,Fig.,,1. Fig.3"is"a layout view of the controlcam.

Fig. '4 is a schematic of the control circuit of an interposer magnet.

The invention is adaptable for use in many types and classes ofmachines. As an example, but not limited thereto, many data processingmachines require high speed, cyclic, accurately timed, short travelmechanical motion during sorting, punching, and printing operations.

As a particular illustration the invention will be explained inconjunction with perforating machines of the class disclosed in U.S.Patent No. Re.21,133, dated June 27, 1939, but it should be understoodthat the device is useful in any machine requiring cyclic, selectable,high speed mechanical movement.

As used in the perforating machine which has been chosen, by way ofexample, the invention provides selective motion of an interposer intothe path of a punch operating bail. Referring now'to the drawings, Fig.1 shows an eccentric'shaft 18 and a punch operating bail 16 forselectively operating a plurality of punches, one of these being shownat 10 in Fig. 1. Articulated poser control cam.

to the punch 10 is an interposer 11 to which is connected one end ofinterposer belt 19. The belt 19, passes over an interposer control cam20 and is anchored at its opposite end at 22. A related interposermagnet 21 has an armature 23'bearing laterally upon the belt 19.

to endure cyclic stressing. Belt 19 may have a round,

square, or flat cross sectional configuration.

Cam 20 is geared to the same driving means, through gears 26, 27, and 28that supplies rotation to the ec-' centric shaft 18 so that cam 20 makesone'revolution for each revolution of eccentric shaft 18. Each punchcycle includes therefore, one rotation of eccentric shaft 18, onereciprocating operation of punch operating bail 16, and one rotation ofthe interposer'control cam 20. The itnerposer belt 19 is positioned onthe surface of cam 20. As indicated in the illustrative example shown inFig. 2, a plurality of belts 19 and cams 20 may be ar-' ranged for usewith an eighty punch perforating machine, as for example that shown inPatent Re. 21,133. The coaction of the interposer wire and interposercontrol cam may be explained with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. Asshown in Fig. 3, a first sector of the cam surface is divided into twoparallel tracks 30 and 31 and a second sector of the cam surface has asingle track 32 formed by the junction of tracks 30 and 31. Togethertracks 30 and'32 form a first complete path over the cam surface havinga circular shape and tracks 31 and 32 form a second complete path havingan Normally the interposer belt is positioned ovate shape. by armature23 to contact the surface of the interposer control cam along said firstpath. Because the path formed by tracks 30 and 32 is circular, no motionis imparted to the interposer belt by the rotation of the inter- Themagnet 21 is energized at the proper time in the cycle of cam 20 by acircuit (Fig. 4) extending from the positive side of the line through acam operated contact 41, a selector contact 40, magnet 21, and fuse 42to the negative side of the line. The cam which operates contact 41 isgeared to run synchronously with cam 20 so that it closes contact 41just as belt 19 is approaching the bifurcation of track 32; into tracks30 7 and 31. 'When magnet 21 is energized its armature 23 shifts belt'19from track 30 to track 31. Synchroniza tion of cam operated contact 41with the punch operating bail 16 and the cam 20 is accomplished bygearing (not shown) similar to that which synchronizescam contacts C15and P1 with punch bail mechanism disclosed in Patent Re. 21,133. Whilethe armature islaterally moving the belt across the surface of theinterposer control cam, rotation of the cam brings projection 34, formedby the intersection of tracks 30 and 31, in contact with interposer belt19. Projection 34 is so shaped as to positively position interposer wire19 in track 31 upon continued rotation of interposer control cam 20.Track 31 has a first portion of increasing radius and a second portionof decreasing radius. The increased radius of track 31 as compared withthe constant radius of track 30, applies a tension to belt 19. The beltbeing rigidly anchored at 22. the tension is exerted through interposer11 upon spring 12. Additional rotation of interposer cam 20 increasesthe tension in interposer belt 19 sufiiciently to overcome the tensionof spring 12 causing interposer 11 to move to the right to engage thePatented Mat. 8. 9. 0

When not gear-nae punch operating bail 16 in the notch 24. The continueddownward motion of punch operating bail 16 and engaged interposer 11forces punch through stripper 15, card 25 and into die 14. Continuedrotation of control cam 20 maintains the tension in interposer belt 19,"causing the interposer 11 to remain positively engaged with the punchoperating bail 16.

Upon the start of the upward motion of punch operating bail 16,interposer belt 19 is in contact with the hereinbefore mentioneddecreasing radius portion of track 31. Further rotation of interposercontrol cam 20 continues to reduce the tension applied to interposerbelt 19 and additionally causes the belt to laterally move to the pathconsisting of tracks 30 and 32 through the action of shaped projection33. The restoring of belt 19 to the circular track by the projection 33also acts to restore armature 23 to its normal deenergized position.Concurrently with the restoring of interposer belt 19 and armature 23,interposer- 11 isalso restored to its normal position by means of thecombination of spring 12 and interposer knock off bar 13.

Although the invention has been described, by Way of example, withreference to certain punch apparatus, it should be understood that theprinciple of the invention may be applied to other types and classes ofmachines that require cyclic, selectable high speed mechanical movement.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out thefundamental novel features of the invention, it will be understood thatvarious omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and detailsof the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by thoseskilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention.It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by thescope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device for imparting to a movable object, cyclic, selectable,high speed mechanical movement, the combination comprising a rotary camhaving a constant radius controlling surface and a varying radiuscontrolling surface, a belt looped over said cam and adapted to ride oneither of said controlling surfaces alternatively, means to anchor oneend of said belt in fixed relation to the axis of rotation of said cam,means to connect the other end of said belt to the object to be moved,means to apply a yielding force to the object tending to pull said beltagainst said cam, and means to shift said belt alternatively from onecontrolling surface to another.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said varying radius controlling surfaceincludes means, in combination with said shifting means, to shift saidbelt to said constant radius controlling surface.

3. In a device for imparting to a movable object, cyclic, selectable,high speed mechanical movement the 4 combination comprising a rotary camhaving a circular controlling surface and an elliptical controllingsurface, a belt looped over said cam and adapted to ride on either ofsaid controlling surfaces, means to anchor one end of said belt in fixedrelation to the axis of rotation of said cam, means to connect the otherend of said belt to the object to be moved, means to apply a yieldingforce to the object tobe moved tending to pull said belt against saidcam, means to normally position said belt on said circular controllingsurface, said positioning means being selectably operable during apredetermined arc of travel of said cam to position said belt on saidelliptical controlling surface.

4. A punch mechanism comprising a punch, an interposer positionable toselect said punch for operation, a belt, a rotating cam having twoperipheral controlling surfaces, the first of said controlling surfaceshaving a circular circumference, the second of said controlling surfaceshaving an elliptical circumference, means to connect one end of saidbelt to said interposer, means to anchor another end of said belt,spring means applied to said interposer and said belt tending tomaintain said belt on said first controlling surface, means selectableduring a first predetermined portion of each cycle of rotation to shiftsaid beltfrom said first controlling surface to said second controllingsurface, said second controlling surface having associated therewith aportion tending to return said belt to said first controlling surfaceduring a second predetermined portion of each cycle of operation.

5. In a punching mechanism, a punch operating member, a punch memberincluding an interposer adapted to be moved to engage said punchoperating member to cause said punch to be operated by the latter, arotating cam member, means to drive said punch operating member and saidcam member in synchronism, a belt looped over said cam member and havingone end fixed in relation to the axis of rotation of said cam member andthe other end connected to said interposer, means applying a yieldingforce to said interposer tending to hold the same disengaged from saidpunch operating member and to maintain said belt in tension, said cammember having two peripheral cam surfaces adapted to receive said beltalternatively, one of said surfaces being concentric to the axis ofrotation of said cam member and the other being eccentric thereto, meansfor shifting said belt from one to the other of said cam surfaces, andmeans for operating said shifting means when said cam is in apredetermined angular position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,811,578 Florisson June 23, 1931

